W.Va. man charged with DUI after collision with police car

May 21, 2010

HANCOCK -- A Berkeley Springs, W.Va., man was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after the car he was driving struck a Maryland State Police cruiser Wednesday night in Hancock, according to a police news release.

Darryl Lynn Hall, 38, of Rock Hill Place also is charged with driving while his license was revoked, failure to keep to the right of the center line and negligent driving, police said. He was being held on $25,000 bond Thursday night at the Washington County Detention Center, jail officials said.

At about 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, state police received phone calls from people saying a blue car was being driven in an erratic manner on westbound Interstate 70 near Clear Spring, according to a news release.

Several minutes later, someone reported to authorities that the car had exited I-70 onto Md. 144 in the east end of Hancock, the release said.

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Trooper 1st Class Robert Care was driving his marked state police cruiser east on Md. 144 when he noticed a car traveling west toward him, the release said. The car was completely in the eastbound lane, the release said.

Care stopped his vehicle and activated his emergency lights in an attempt to warn the driver, but the car continued and struck the front of Care's cruiser, the release said.

Care had minor injuries, but he was able to administer field sobriety tests to the driver of the car that hit his cruiser, police said.